Dry

The Valley of the Sun is basically a very sunny desert. It's hot and dusty here and it's only spring. I have never lived anywhere so dry which has its good points.

Firstly, things dry off quickly - most notably clothes, dishes and hair. It might seem pretty obvious but I've been here two months and the novelty hasn't worn off yet.

In the garden the benefit of dryness(TM) can be seen in the speed at which garden waste transforms into tinder. On the way out the door going to the supermarket the other days, I saw some weeds and decided to uproot them and leave them on the drive. When I returned half an hour later, I walked over them and they crunched underfoot. HAHAHAHA!! DIE WEEDY SCUM!! Ahem.

Secondly, no mold! Initially, it's quite disconcerting to inspect each slice of bread for little blue/greed/white dots but then you realise you can't remember when you bought the loaf. I'm used to throwing the stuff out after a few days but nowadays, it lasts two weeks and I don't just mean for toast; it's still moist.

Last week, Heather and I were reminiscing about life in Guildford and it dawned on us that by now, the shower should have expanses of black growth at the edges. A year ago when we prepared to go on holiday to France, I took the suitcases out of the cupboard and found them covered in fungus. I don't miss those moments one little bit.

Mac's birthday went well. The photos which Heather and I took didn't come out too great but if you squint you can just about make out a gathering of bikers growing old disgracefully.

In other news Heather just called to tell me that she got a job at the Arizona Republic. Either she's referring to the newspaper or she isn't giving anything away...

Update: Heather has asked me to point out that her hair curls nicely and she's not too sweaty. (I think she's talking about the low humidity, not the birthday party.)